During recent years, computer gaming has gained increasing popularity, and today many players play games all around the world. Interactive computer gaming, such as on Internet enabled platforms, has blurred the line between games and other entertainment or communication media.
Due to their dynamic nature and specific appeal to certain audiences, computer games and especially games played on Internet-enabled platforms provide an ideal vehicle for sponsored content delivery (e.g., advertising). Not only is it possible for an advertiser to target directly a specific group of customers, but also advertisements (“ads”) can be incorporated directly into the computer games, enabling something akin to the well-known concept of product placement. In one such system, a game is running on a computer that is connected to the Internet. While playing of the game, the game software contacts one or more content providers, either locally or remotely (e.g., advertising servers) to retrieve advertising content that is available for display to the gamer during game play. The data and advertising content is transferred using, for example, HTTP protocols over the Internet.
When an ad is included in video games, a question to be resolved is how to compare ad impressions in different games, on different platforms, with different content display techniques.